Written by Natalie Payan
Katie Travis is no novice in the theater world, as she played Cosette in “Les Misérables” at the St. Louis MUNY with Hugh Panaro and Norm Lewis in July 2013, performed in “Titanic,” “Jekyll and Hyde” and “The Most Happy Fella,” among others, and won the Lys Symonette Award in 2014 at the Lotte Lenya Competition.
Travis now plays Christine Daaé in the U.S. National Tour of “The Phantom of the Opera,” which runs from Feb. 26 through March 6 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
Here’s what Travis said about the role she’s always dreamed of playing.
Why do you love music so much?
“The older I get and the more I experience life, I realize it’s essential, as humans, to express what we’re feeling; it’s a world-wide commonality between humans. The component of story-telling is a universal thing. I think it’s a part of who we are as humans. Music is another level of that story-telling. For me, I feel like it’s an extension of my heart and what I’m feeling. It’s meant more [to me] as I’ve gotten older to be able to have an outlet to sing about stuff that’s going on in life. I think it’s a necessity for people to take part in musical activity.”
Why are you so passionate about this role?
“It was the first play I ever saw as a kid. I was 4 years old, and I saw it in Toronto. It was the soundtrack of my childhood. We’d play it all the time in the car. I fell in love with the story and the music. “Phantom,” for sure, was a big one for me growing up.”
Do you share anything in common with Christine?
“It’s about a young woman coping with death, relationships, figuring out where her career’s going, and I think I relate to all of those things. It resonates with me a lot more because of who I am and my experiences in life. [I relate to] the challenge and beauty of it all, for sure.”
How did you prepare for this role?
“I worked with Sara Jean Ford, who played Christine for many years. I studied a lot and watched a lot of videos. I just tried to make it my own. I also worked with coaches for my voice. I just really tried to make it work for me.”
Was the musical element of the play hard for you?
“It was one of the exciting elements for me because of my opera background. It’s a component of the show that I didn’t realize required so much maintenance. It’s a lot of your voice; you always have to be in tune. I always drink water and always take vitamins. It’s similar to [athletics]; it’s very vocally demanding. There’s a major change in your social life. We really give our lives to the show because of the vocal demands.”
How do you overcome fear on stage?
“I’ve done hundreds of “Phantom” shows; there are moments where I still get nervous every day. The biggest thing I’ve learned is you can’t make fear go away, but what you can do is channel it and move forward with it. It’s a cool thing that I have this job that’s allowing me to learn that every day. You just have to be forgiving of yourself and realize that you’re human and that you’re facing these fears doing something you love.”
Why do you think people should see “The Phantom of the Opera”?
“I think “Phantom” is great for people of all ages. There’s something for everyone: romance, the spectacle, music, fighting and beautiful costumes. I think whatever you’re drawn to in a show…“Phantom” has it all. It’s such an iconic, historic show. I think everyone should see it if they can.”
What do you think people will take way from this play?
“I think our particular production is about real people trying to maneuver life’s difficulties. Christine is trying to figure out the death of her father, figure out the type of person she wants to be romantically and deal with her career. Those are real-life issues that [everyone relates to]. I think what we’re trying to do with storytelling is keep it very real and simple.”
What would you recommend to someone who wants to get into musical theater?
“I think it’s really important to find good teachers; you can’t do it alone. I realize that [taking voice lessons, taking dance classes and partaking in community theater] are expensive endeavors, but I think there are ways to study and to find teachers who will work with you. If you believe in it enough and you’re in it to do the work, then find the best teachers, keep working and don’t stop. If you’re in it for the excitement, for the fame or glamour, it’s not just that, and that goes away. It’s a process that’s always going and if that’s exciting for you, by always learning, growing and becoming a better person through that, then go for it. It starts when you feel that love for it. It’s also important for parents to recognize that. I think there’s a lot to be said about allowing people to grow. Nothing bad could come from that.”
